The field of this invention is slot-type gaming machines having a drop zone portion which has one or more dropping balls or other dropping objects which can be received at different positions to affect the action and probabilities associated with winning and playing the game.
Slot machines have been a dominant part of the gaming industry worldwide for over 50 years. While pachinko machines have seen a great deal of popularity in Asia, they are not as well suited for gaming as the traditional slot machine.
Slot machines have changed very little over the years. Whether mechanical or electronic, they still have reels spinning and coming to stop on a potential jackpot. It appears that a large part of the appeal of slot machines is the xe2x80x9cmechanicalxe2x80x9d nature of the spinning reels which induces a belief in players that they are witnesses to a truly random event and that the xe2x80x9cbigxe2x80x9d jackpot is always just around the corner. While the big jackpot may or may not be just around the corner, slot machines maintain a very accurate payout percentage, usually 92 to 99 percent with the house retaining the rest as income.
The public perception and reaction to slot machines is a critical part of their acceptance and the perception of the fairness of the machine. When slot machines with video displays showing simulated reels were introduced, the public rejected them in favor of the older slot machines with mechanical reels. Even though the new machines simulated the mechanical slots in every way and used the same random number generating circuit and yielded the same percentages as the mechanical slot machines, they were less attractive to the gaming public.
The biggest problem with the mechanical or electronic slot machines that have mechanical reels is that they have higher mechanical maintenance costs than machines with video displays in place of spinning reels. While prior art machines that replaced the spinning reels with video displays had lower mechanical maintenance costs, they were also less attractive to gamers.
Another problem with traditional slot machines is their size, due to the space requirements of the mechanical reels. Traditional slot machines take up a great deal of floor space and are generally not well suited to being wall mounted. Smaller machines would allow the machines"" owners to generate more revenue per square foot. The option of wall mounting a machine is attractive because this allows greater flexibility in the placement of machines.
Yet another problem with traditional slot machines is that the limited number of possible combinations of symbols limits the size of a jackpot that can be offered. In an effort to overcome this limitation and to provide larger jackpots, gaming establishments link multiple machines together in order to offer a progressive jackpot. This is relatively complicated and requires greater costs in setting up and operating the machines.
It is common for the patrons of slot machines and other gaming devices to look for large jackpots in order to win big and make a fortune. Although the progressive slot machines have addressed some of this interest, there are some who are not drawn to this approach. There is still a strong interest in the casino industry for slot machines or similar gaming machines which can offer large jackpots but still provide the consistent entertainment value and steady operation of slot machines, but without the expense and trouble of progressive slot systems. Thus there is a continuing need for improved slot machines which can offer greater combinations of events and greater jackpot amounts.
Finally, the very randomness which makes slot machines attractive also deters some people from playing them because they do not perceive there to be any skill involved in playing the game. Additionally, some people are looking for a more interactive experience than is provided by traditional slot machines. Too much interactivity, such as that involved with video and pinball games, would slow down the cycle rate of the machines to an unacceptable level.
There is a demand for a gaming machine that is as attractive to gamers as slot machines but at lower mechanical maintenance costs. There is a further demand for a gaming machine which would allow for the chance at a large jackpot with a small investment without having to link together multiple machines. There is yet a further demand for a gaming machine which creates a perception of skill while maintaining an accurate payout percentage and a fast cycle rate.
The present invention is a drop slot game machine that utilizes falling balls or other playing field objects which drop or otherwise traverse across a playing field, such as from the upper part of the playing field to a lower part of the playing field. The playing field is advantageously divided into user or randomly selectable drop zones which allow the balls or other objects to be introduced onto the playing field in more than one location. The balls can traverse the playing field and be detected, such as at exit positions near or at the bottom of the playing field. The balls preferably encounter deflector pegs which affect, such as randomly affect, or change the path of the balls during their fall. As each passes through an exit position it is detected by a suitable sensor (photoelectric, infrared, electric, mechanical, etc.).
The exit or other detector positions have a corresponding symbol which is associated or assigned to the position to enhance play. The symbol can be displayed on detector displays using suitable symbol representations, such as represented on a liquid crystal display, at or near an exit or other detector position. The symbol display, can be configured to light up or otherwise indicate when a ball passes through or is otherwise detected at that position. A small indicator, such as one or more LED""s, above each symbol can be used to reflects how many balls fell into a particular position (providing some did). This is used to eliminate doubt which can otherwise arise as to which position has been scored, and to how many balls passed through the associated position. A larger payline display, simulating the payline of a traditional slot machine, shows the series of symbols selected by the balls passing through the exit positions.
If, for example, three balls are dropped, then the symbols representing the three exit positions which the balls pass through are displayed on the larger payline display. The symbols used in traditional slot machines as well as new symbols can be displayed on the exit position symbol display and the payline display. If all three balls fall into a single exit position, then the same symbol will be represented three times on the payline.
Payout in the present invention is controlled by electrical circuits similar to those controlling paying in traditional slot machines, thereby ensuring the same payout percentages.
After passing through the exit positions, the balls recirculate by rolling into a launching position where they will be ejected back to the top of the game machine to drop through the playing field. It is likely that the balls will be launched by electrical solenoid or pneumatic ejector system.
A microprocessor/random number generator determines which symbols appear on which exit positions at the time of each pull. More than three balls can be used and more than three symbols can be represented on the payline (such as a four or greater reel machine). Furthermore, multiple paylines can be used using the appropriate number of balls (i.e., three paylines, three symbols per payline, nine balls would drop). In general, it is possible to simulate almost all current slot machine pay variations.
An additional feature of the machine is to have drop zones so that the balls may be deflected into one specific zone at the upper starting position. These zones may be either randomly selected by the machine itself, or selected by the player just prior to the symbols being shown on the displays.
Other features may include bonus payoffs, such as: symbols designated by the LCD as xe2x80x9cdoublexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ctriplexe2x80x9d etc. if balls fall in those individual or group of holes. Another bonus may be available if all the balls fall through the same hole. Yet another bonus may be available based upon what is displayed on the exit position display in combination with the payline display.
From a player""s standpoint, there is an element of anticipation not present in traditional slot machines. A player can see a jackpot developing and xe2x80x9cwishxe2x80x9d balls into the jackpot positions. The present invention also creates a perception of xe2x80x9ctruexe2x80x9d randomness not found in traditional slot machines. The player sees balls freely dropping through the playing field as opposed to reels jerkily moving symbols in or out of the payline.
The present invention also creates a perception of skill. By being able to select drop zones a player can exert a distinct influence on the outcome (not at all present in current slot machines). In reality, the percentages will run the same, but there is little doubt that the perception of skill on the player""s behalf will exist.
Another aspect that is unique to the present invention is what may be called the xe2x80x9cif only I hadxe2x80x9d aspect which is evident in other gambling sport/games, i.e. horse racing xe2x80x9cif only I had bet on the number two horsexe2x80x9d, roulette xe2x80x9cif only I had bet the red or sevenxe2x80x9d, craps, etc. In the case of the present invention, xe2x80x9cif only I had selected number two drop zonexe2x80x9d.
Yet another advantage to the player is the ability to experience the excitement of a xe2x80x9chigh probability of winxe2x80x9d round when they look down and see many symbols which may be xe2x80x9chighxe2x80x9d jackpot oriented. In these cases, the player will actually be at an advantage to win during that round, and he/she will know it. This situation never exists on a traditional slot machine.
The machine of the present invention also allows for a greater number of symbols to be displayed than a traditional, reel based, slot machine. The reel based machines are limited to displaying the number of symbols that can be fit on the reel. In a three (3) reel machine with eleven (11) symbols per reel there are 1,331 possible combinations that can ever be displayed on the payline. In the present invention it is easy to store many symbols for electronic display. In a machine with eight (8) exit positions and 25 possible symbols per exit position there are over 150 billion combinations for display on the exit position display. This larger number of possible combinations makes it possible for the present invention to pay out over a larger range of combinations and would allow a single machine to have the potential to pay out a very large jackpot.
The present invention should have a very wide appeal to the gaming establishments as it has an overtly visible xe2x80x9cmechanicalxe2x80x9d element, balls launching and freely dropping through the playing field, yet very low maintenance. The maintenance is low because other than simple mechanical switches and a ball ejecting system, the machine is dependent on non-mechanical hardware and software for most of its operation.
Still other versions and aspects of the invention can be implemented by combining the drop zone style game machine described herein in a gaming machine which also includes a more traditional reel-style slot machine. One or more reels having the reel symbols included thereon can be presented in the traditional slot machine fashion. The probability combinations can be greatly enhanced by having a secondary drop zone section on the machine with the traditional slot machine reels. The secondary drop zone section can be played concurrently, as a bonus round, combined in a single payline determination using both symbol sets, otherwise combined or sequenced to enhance the player""s enjoyment and anticipation. The added mathematical probability options are greatly enhanced and this allows the casino operator to offer greatly enhanced maximum jackpot amounts without having the added cost and complexity of connecting numerous slot machines into a mega-jackpot pool as is a common and costly procedure being used widely in the casino industry.